Traditional Skills Training Programme: Heritage Skills for a Sustainable Future in Clare
LEADER | Clare Local Development Company | Kilfenora
Common Knowledge teaches practical skills for sustainable, low‑carbon living.
The Traditional Skills Training Programme is a LEADER‑funded initiative that reconnects people in County Clare with practical heritage skills as tools for climate action, circular living and stronger rural communities. Delivered by Common Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Living in partnership with Clare Local Development Company (CLDC), the programme offers a series of fully funded, hands‑on weekend workshops in Kilfenora that bring traditional crafts and sustainable building methods back into everyday use.
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Project
Snapshot
- Project Name: Common Knowledge Traditional Skills
- Location: Common Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Living, Kilfenora, Co. Clare
- Promoter: Clare Local Development Company CLG in partnership with Common Knowledge CLG
- Funding: €48,640 (100% LEADER grant)
- LEADER Theme: Rural Environment – Climate Change & Biodiversity (Skills for Sustainable Development)
Overview
Reviving Traditional Skills as Climate Action
Across ten themed two‑day weekends in 2026, participants come to the Common Knowledge Centre in Kilfenora to learn traditional skills such as stone and lime work, earthen building, hedge laying, heritage gardening, wood skills, and food preservation. Each workshop blends classroom learning with practical, outdoor sessions and shared meals, creating a “third space” where people of all ages can learn together, talk, and reconnect with the land and local knowledge.
A total of 160 participant places are fully funded through the 2023–2027 LEADER Programme under the theme “Best Practice in Sustainable Development – Skills for Sustainable Development.” This support covers tuition, tools, materials, and food, as well as a dedicated car‑pooling and shared‑taxi scheme so that people without transport – including Ukrainian families and residents in Direct Provision – can take part.
What We Did
Funded Practical Training
Provided LEADER grant support so Common Knowledge could run a series of hands‑on traditional skills workshops in Kilfenora.
Enabled Inclusive Access
Approved funding to cover participant fees, tools, materials, meals and transport supports, making the programme accessible to communities across Clare.
Backed Climate & Heritage Outcomes
Supported a project that links heritage skills with climate action, rural resilience and community capacity‑building in line with LEADER objectives.
What CLDC LEADER Funding Supported
Design and delivery of 10 themed weekend workshops on traditional and sustainable skills
Partnership with Common Knowledge, a national heritage support organisation, to host the programme in Kilfenora
Full funding for 160 participant places, including tuition, tools, materials and meals
Promotion of the programme county‑wide to reach communities across rural Clare
Development of inclusive access measures such as car‑pooling and shared taxi services
IMPACT & OUTCOMES
- Heritage skills such as dry‑stone walling, hedge laying, thatching and natural building passed on to new generations
- Participants equipped with practical skills in food security, repair, reuse and low‑carbon building methods
- A welcoming “third space” created where younger people, working‑age adults and older residents learn side‑by‑side
- New opportunities for micro‑enterprise and supplementary income in rural areas, from crafts to sustainable construction
- Stronger social connections between long‑standing residents and newer communities, including Ukrainian and Direct Provision households
- A county‑wide model for using traditional skills training to support climate action and rural resilience
“People came to Kilfenora to learn how to build a wall, grow food or repair a roof – but they left with new friendships, ideas and the confidence to bring those skills back to their own communities.”
Learning & Next Steps
What Worked
Linking traditional skills to climate action and circular living, not just nostalgia
Combining theory, hands‑on practice and shared meals to build trust and community
Hosting the programme at an established learning centre in Kilfenora with workshop facilities and outdoor space
Removing cost and transport barriers so people from right across Clare could attend
Working in partnership between CLDC and a social enterprise with specialist expertise in sustainable living
Future Potential
Scaling the model to additional locations in rural Clare in future years
Developing follow‑on courses and advanced pathways for participants who want to deepen their skills
Supporting participants to set up local skill‑sharing sessions, repair cafés or micro‑enterprises in their own communities
Using the programme as a template for other Local Action Groups interested in heritage skills and climate adaptation
Exploring links with schools, youth groups and community gardens to bring traditional skills to younger generations
Acknowledgements
This Traditional Skills Training Programme is promoted by Clare Local Development Company CLG and delivered in partnership with Common Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Living CLG at Kilfenora. The project is supported by the 2023–2027 LEADER Programme under the Rural Environment theme – Climate Change and Biodiversity (Skills for Sustainable Development).
